Worn out high-pressure seals are a common leak point in reciprocating pump applications, such as liquid chromatography, in which a pump moves fluid under pressure. For instance, in liquid chromatography systems, typically one or more high-pressure pumps take in solvents and deliver a liquid solvent composition to a sample manager, where a sample awaits injection into a mixture. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems use high pressure, ranging traditionally between 1,000 to 6,000 psi, to generate the flow required for liquid chromatography in packed columns. In contrast to HPLC, ultra HPLC (UPLC®) systems use columns with smaller particulate matter and high pressures that can reach or exceed 20,000 psi to deliver a mobile phase. In many liquid chromatography systems, two or more actuators are employed in a serial or parallel configuration.
In various liquid chromatography applications, a high-pressure seal resides within a gland in the pump fluidic area. The outside diameter (OD) of the high-pressure seal provides a seal against an external sealing surface while the inside diameter (ID) of the high-pressure seal provides a seal against a reciprocating plunger.